


Retribution

by cheshireArcher



Category: Richard II - Shakespeare
Genre: Friendship, Other, Revenge, of a sort, references to past dubcon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 09:09:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9995648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshireArcher/pseuds/cheshireArcher
Summary: Harry Percy gets back at Bagot. The conclusion to "The Dare."





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to "The Dare" so if you haven't read that, go do so. I'll wait. 
> 
> Anyway, I decided to give this a conclusion since I got positive feedback on the first story, and besides I didn't want to leave Edward and Harry hanging.

Harry Percy couldn't get the image of Edward crying out of his head. It was especially bad because he knew he had caused it. He'd grabbed Edward roughly and kissed him just as hard, goaded on by the Prince's hangers-on. He'd been dared to do it, to kiss Edward, and in hindsight he should have known that the whole plan was to humiliate him and the other boy. He'd done it, not sure what he had to prove but knowing he had to prove it.

Edward had run, sobbing, to his cousins, Kate Mortimer and Prince Richard, who had comforted him as best they could. Richard had no idea what had happened, but Kate had seen it and given Percy the most angry look he'd ever seen. She blamed him, he realized later. 

Percy lay awake that night, unable to shake the guilt. He didn't like guilt, he didn't like being made to think he was wrong. Edward wouldn't like him now for sure, even though they'd been rather good friends before this incident. Kate was quietly enraged, and Percy didn't like it when people were angry but didn't voice it- he believed you should be honest. And Prince Richard... Richard really loved Edward. Edward wasn't one of the posse who followed Richard around, he was an actual friend. 

A single tear escaped Percy's eye and he couldn't believe he was crying. He never cried. But he let it slip down his cheek as he stared up at the ceiling. No doubt Edward was somewhere else in the castle, curled up and crying. 

\---

Which was exactly what Edward was doing, his arms wrapped around himself tightly and the tears spilling. Percy had hurt him so badly. His mouth had hurt, he couldn't breathe, and Percy's fingers had dug into his arms and shoulders. But most of all it had been scary. He had never expected Percy to hurt him, not really- Percy was rough and liked wrestling and physical games and he was excited to be training to be a knight but if he bruised a friend while roughhousing it was an accident and he said sorry. 

This hadn't been an accident. 

Why had Bagot been so mean? He'd shoved Edward at Percy and for one moment Edward thought Percy would protect him, tell Bagot to piss off, something. Edward began to blame Bagot too. 

It didn't help. Edward cried himself to sleep that night, wishing Richard would give him a hug and he and Percy would be friends again. Just like things had been. 

\---

Elizabeth Mortimer- better known as Kate- had seen Percy grab her cousin Edward and... kiss him? No, that couldn't be right. You kissed people you liked and usually they didn't cry. She had no idea why it had happened but seeing Percy violate Edward... it made her blood boil. Especially since she liked Percy and didn't think he'd do such an awful thing. 

He couldn't, in fact. He couldn't have wanted to do something like that, hurt his own friend. Kate realized that as she crawled under the blankets of the bed in the guest room she got to stay in that week. That left only one possibility. Percy had been made to do it. Percy wasn't too bright, and he was could easily be manipulated into doing something if he thought his honor was being questioned, or some other stupid abstract concept. 

She decided to tell Richard her theory in the morning.

\---

Edward and Percy didn't make eye contact the next day, even when their fathers asked if they had a good time playing the day before. 

_No,_ Percy wanted to scream, _I hurt Edward. I was horrible. I can't be a knight now._

After breakfast, Percy caught the eye of Kate- but she didn't look mad, she looked determined. She gestured for him to come over and he did. Prince Richard was with her.

"Tell me what happened," she said. 

"What?" Percy asked.

"Yesterday," Richard said. "With Edward." 

"I-" Percy was, for once in his life, unable to speak. "I didn't- Bagot-"

Richard was seized by one of his moments of rage that sometimes hit him. Kate flinched as Richard lunged at Percy and grabbed him. Somehow it was worse than when Percy got angry, since the Northumbrian boy was always angry and his outbursts were usually just tantrums. Richard was rarely set off, but when he was it was pure rage.

"You molested Edward! You hurt him! My Edward!"

Percy responded by twisting out of the Prince's grip and shoving him away. 

"I didn't w-want to!" Percy screamed. "Bagot made me do it!"

"You idiot!" Kate snapped. "Don't you get it? Bagot just wanted to humiliate you!"

Percy was breathing hard, Richard was still angry. They were getting nowhere. 

Suddenly Percy caught sight of something and took off in a run like a dog scenting a hart. 

It was Bagot. 

Screaming, Percy tackled the other boy, taken over by something. His usual anger were just stupid outbursts but his true fury could rip through an entire army. Bagot was pummeled as a steady stream of profanity and anger flowed. 

"You little-! You made me hurt Ed! I'm gonna kill you!" Kate and Richard stood, unable to move or take their eyes off the scene. "You're gonna pay!" Somehow his speech impediment disappeared when he was in a rage. 

The attack was over in an instant as Percy was lifted off of the screaming, bleeding, beaten-to-a-pulp Bagot by Northumberland. 

"What do you think you're doing?!" Percy's father yelled, shaking his son and spanking him. The boy was still in a rage and tried to twist out of his father's grip, which just earned him more discipline. Bagot crawled away while Percy was occupied with his own thrashing.

"Stop!"

It was Edward of York, his usual shy demeanor gone. He marched up to Northumberland and Percy.

"Let go of him!" Edward demanded.

"What did you say?"

"I said, let go of Harry, please," Edward replied. "Harry was trying to protect me. Bagot hurt me yesterday and Harry wanted to get back at him."

Northumberland stared at Edward, then looked to his son, still in his grip and sniffling. 

"It's true," Kate said, stepping forward. "I saw it happen. Harry just wanted to show Bagot what happens if you hurt his friends." 

"He'll be a fine knight," Richard said. "And I will be pleased to have him in my service when I am king." 

"Is this true?" Northumberland asked, letting go of his son. "About Edward and Bagot?"

Percy sniffed and tried to wipe his tears and running nose. He didn't want to know he was crying from the hiding his father had inflicted. "Yes," he said. "I w-was so mad that he hurt Edward, m-my friend. I d-didn't think." He had to force the words out. 

"You never do," Northumberland said, cuffing his ear once more. "Now, you go play. If I hear you've been fighting again, you'll be sorry." 

Edward ran up to Percy as Northumberland walked away. He threw his arms around the older boy. 

"Thank you, Harry," Edward choked. 

Percy looked at Edward, confused, then patted his head. "Thanks, Ed. You saved me." 

Edward and Percy were once again friends and they were sure they would be for the rest of their lives.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Comfort](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14690874) by [TheMalhamBird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMalhamBird/pseuds/TheMalhamBird)




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